Not having a reliable bike in the harsh part of winter is risky to me. Will yours make it? No idea. But I do know that getting stranded in the summer is an adventure, maybe even fun. Getting stranded by a break down in winter when it's dark and below zero sucks *****, and can be down right dangerous.

How about a single speed? I ride the same one all year, Very easy to maintain. Cheaper to buy, theoretically:-). You got hills?